Youri Doeleman

🚀 57% of our investments are certified B Corp! We just added 2 to the mix: #Untamed | B Corp™ and #KoRo! At Five Seasons Ventures, we do as we preach, so we are also B Corp certified ourselves. Even though the label is far from perfect, it certainly has its advantages: - Fast growing community: from 1.2k certified companies 10 years ago to over 9k today. - Trusted and recognized by consumers and investors - Holistic approach: B Corp offers a comprehensive framework, recognizing companies that prioritize ESG, but also giving companies extra points if their products "promote the health and wellness of individuals" or "reduce toxins or pollution" for example (aka impact) According to our head of Impact Gaetan Kerloc'h: 'there is a strong correlation between certified companies and my own evaluation of their sustainability practices. With the new framework currently in development, I believe this alignment will only grow stronger.' 💚

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We are excited to welcome TRACT to the Working Capital Fund portfolio! Fragmented sustainability data is a chronic pain point for corporations seeking to operate ethical and sustainable supply chains and Tract offers a unique opportunity to influence sustainability reporting at scale across commodities with well documented risks of labor exploitation. Historically siloed data has obfuscated visibility into labor and environmental conditions of upstream suppliers and forced suppliers to allocate an extensive amount of time filling in redundant forms.  Tract is positioned to help solve this problem as a platform designed by and for industry leaders to align around standardized methodologies, metrics, and schemas. Under the expert leadership of CEO Allison Kopf, Tract will aim to unlock customers' ability to navigate, oversee, and share sustainability data. We are pleased to join Rabo Investments along with existing investors Cargill, Louis Dreyfus Company, ADM and Olam in the effort to drive supply chain transformation in key agricultural commodities. 

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Rubio Impact Ventures has shown that social impact and financial returns can go hand in hand, and Geri Stengel (Forbes) recently spotlighted this journey, featuring our founders, Willemijn Verloop and Machtelt Groothuis. I'm proud to be part of a team that challenges the status quo—linking 100% of carry to measurable #impact, fostering a gender-diverse team, and showing that impact-focused businesses can thrive financially. This article highlights not just our achievements, but also the bold choices and lessons learned along the way. It’s a testament to how venture capital can deliver results for people and planet. 🌍 Curious to learn more? Check out the full interview in #Forbes (link in comments) Warner Philips Ilonka Jankovich Edward van der Hout Eline de Haan Helmer Schukken Charlie Macdonald Ata Şenkon Kirstin Valkonet Talita Ferguson Tijl Hoefnagels 👉 Let's keep pushing boundaries in impact investing. #impact #impactinvesting #venturecapital #forbes #teamrubio #finance

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I look forward to the panel conversation about ESG and Impact Investing and catching up with people during the conference. Thanks Private Equity Insights for the invitation! #privateequity #ESG #impactinvesting #netzero

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My newest column in Quote Magazine: Dutch Dynamism 🇳🇱 💡 Inspired by Andreessen Horowitz’ “American Dynamism” and the Not Boring newsletters of Packy McCormick about why tech is going to be much bigger, I realized there is a momentum in the Netherlands to become one of the European leaders to lead this new industrial revolution - if we double down. 💻 Historically, the Netherlands was strong in trade and banking. However, the country now leads in technology with companies like ASML, Adyen, and NXP Semiconductors as the top 10 most valuable companies, replacing former giants like Shell, Unilever, ING and ABN AMRO Bank N.V 💶 Fueled by capital, according to the latest report of Techleap; 48% Venture Capital investments in 2023 the Netherlands went to deeptech companies. 🤖 While the latest AI innovations have enhanced office jobs, the fusion of software and hardware, like physical robots, is set to revolutionize all types of labor, making tasks scalable and more manageable and cheaper. Two great examples of Dutch robotics companies are Monumental and family business Lely, that are automating less attractive jobs, like bricklaying and milking cows. ⚡ The insight is that the world's largest tech companies of the next decade will likely surpass today’s giants, and for the first time in a long time, tech companies have the opportunity to rebuild the world’s industrial base and tap into huge, existing pools of revenue at higher margins than incumbents can. Assuming the same revenue but structurally higher margins will create more valuable companies than the incumbent comps. 🇳🇱 In the Netherlands, we have access to incredible research institutes, top technical universities like Delft University of Technology, Eindhoven University of Technology, Wageningen University & Research & University of Twente, (which has its own Robotics Centre University of Twente) - incredible talent and more and more hardware friendly VC funds, (incl the support of Invest-NL) and recently the NATO Innovation Fund (NIF) with an office in NL, so I don’t see why we can’t punch above our weight and become one of the leaders to reshape the industrial foundation in Europe. Curious to hear your thoughts, what's needed to make this happen? Dutch Dynamism 🇳🇱 , het bekt toch lekker (Thanks Salar :-)). Link to article (for translation) in the comments. #HardTech #AI #Robotics #Innovation #DutchDynamism #AIRevolution #DeepTech #FutureOfWork #Netherlands #Technology

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We're doubling down! Join us for the Re-Industrialize Europe Meetup 👩‍🏭 We’re bringing together leading minds in HardTech, TechBio, and DeepTech to discuss what it will take for Europe to lead the next wave of industrial innovation. Learn more about: ➡ Farmless’ fermentation platform that allows for local protein production independent from climate and agricultural land, increasing food security. 🎤 Adnan Oner ➡ Cradle’s design platform that uses generative AI to help biologists design improved proteins and accelerate research and development, making it easier, quicker and more cost effective to create bio-based products for human and planetary health. 🎤 Jelle Prins ➡ Monumental’s AI-driven electric construction robots that are capable of building walls autonomously, solving the labour, cost and sustainability challenges crippling the global construction industry. 🎤 Salar al Khafaji ➡ ASML's involvement in the European startup ecosystem and the biggest challenges we need to tackle. 🎤 Evelien de Vries Connect, collaborate, and be inspired by ambitious founders shaping the future. Sign up here: https://lu.ma/de2uprl2 NP-Hard Ventures #FoundryMeetups #HardTech #Deeptech #TechBio #Founders #Hiring #Startups #Europe

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Erik Noyes writes on how entrepreneurs should consider using AI tools to analyze customer data at scale, extract valuable insights, and make informed decisions. At risk of repeating others, here’s the quick take: 🔷Otter.ai - for transcribing focus group sessions or interviews in seconds 🔷Microsoft Azure - detects emotional cues and tones in customer conversations, by aggregating this data over time we can more deeply understand how customers feel about the brand, product or service. 🔷MeaningCloud - voice of the customer (feedback at scale) aggregated from social, product reviews and customer support tickets. 🔷Claude - iterate/generate variations on messaging based on customer feedback 🔷Copy.ai - to create product descriptions that resonate with a target audience It has become clear that the future belongs to those who understand how to leverage AI effectively. Onwards! #AI #Entrepreneurship #CustomerExperience #DataManagement #Marketing

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Welcome ecoLocked to the Climentum Capital portfolio! We are proud to have led the €4M funding round together with Matterwave Ventures, and delighted to have existing investors Counteract, Startup Family Office, Sabancı Building Solutions, and VOYAGERS.io joining the round. The investment will support ecoLocked’s mission to revolutionize the construction industry with carbon-negative building materials. Concrete production accounts for 8% of global CO2 emissions, making innovations in this field crucial for achieving net-zero goals. ecoLocked is leading the change by converting carbon captured from biomass into functional, carbon-negative building materials. This funding will accelerate ecolocked's efforts to turn buildings into carbon sinks, scaling their innovative biochar-based solutions and enabling 1Gt carbon removal by 2040. Doerte Hirschberg Morten Halborg Stefan Maard

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#KLM #ZeroAvia KLM and electric aviation solutions startup ZeroAvia announced plans for a zero-emissions demonstration flight using hydrogen-electric engines powered by liquid hydrogen. The test flight plans come as a series of initiatives are underway to target rapid aviation sector decarbonization, such as electrified propulsion or sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Hydrogen, however, is viewed by some in the industry as a more promising long-term solution, given its potential to be produced through carbon-free methods, and its energy attributes. https://lnkd.in/dSZtA6CF

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#KLM #ZeroAvia KLM and electric aviation solutions startup ZeroAvia announced plans for a zero-emissions demonstration flight using hydrogen-electric engines powered by liquid hydrogen. The test flight plans come as a series of initiatives are underway to target rapid aviation sector decarbonization, such as electrified propulsion or sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Hydrogen, however, is viewed by some in the industry as a more promising long-term solution, given its potential to be produced through carbon-free methods, and its energy attributes. https://lnkd.in/dSZtA6CF

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My colleagues, Renaat Berckmoes and Philipp Remy, had an insightful discussion with Belgium's primary business newspaper De Tijd about Fortino Capital's expanding international presence and the significance of #Munich as a hub for B2B software investments. Check out the article here: https://lnkd.in/dXPg66-2. Great read!

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This Monday, I kicked off a project to validate the Dutch market for Metris Energy, a London-based startup that’s reshaping solar asset management. Backed by VCs Octopus Ventures and AENU, Metris is building a powerful new platform that addresses a pain point in the solar industry. 🌞 Currently, many PPA funds and solar asset managers rely on Excel for tracking and reporting - a method that’s often slow, inefficient, and difficult to scale. 🐢💻 Metris is solving this problem with its software, automating key processes like monitoring, reporting, billing, and payments. Making solar asset management faster, easier and scalable. 📈⚡️ ️ With 240+ sites already live in the #UK, Metris is now looking to expand into new markets. And that’s where I come in. Over the next weeks, I’ll be: - Validating market demand - Assessing needs to support a potential entry 🇳🇱 Through targeted interviews and research, we aim to confirm a potential product-market fit and identify essential features for a potential launch. So, do you know anyone in the #solar asset management space? If so, tag them below or send me a DM - I’d love to connect! 💬

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📰 Great to be featured on the latest Sifted article by Amy Lewin Joe Schorge, Maria Rotilu and I share our thoughts on the topic of ''How many new #VC funds does Europe need?'' and the ''rise in solo GPs across Europe'' 💭 TLDR: In my opinion, Solo GPs are fantastic! They truly do care and are super useful with great networks, hunger and high-speed. However many solo GPs don’t lead deals at pre-seed, and the European ecosystem could do with a few more funds that do. But there are exceptions, such as Germany’s Gloria Baeuerlein, Finn Murphy, and Max Claussen, to name a few. Full article here: https://lnkd.in/dWXUFsWb

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How do we make investment decisions at Scalebridge? 👀 This is a common question from founders and investors. 💬 To shed light on this opaque process, we are launching 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 newsletter. Naturally, we kick things off with our investment theses. 🔮 🚀 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 is a key investment thesis at Scalebridge, expected to redefine the tech landscape over the next decade. 🌟 The potential immense opportunity, with >$𝟱 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱 up for grabs. ❌ Traditional digital transformation, despite heavy investment, has a failure rate exceeding 70% 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁-𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲, due to its rigidity and complexity. 🦾 Autonomous Transformation leverages data, workflow automation, and AI to achieve strategic goals with minimal manual interference. It allows for real-time autonomous decision-making and process adjustments, directing human efforts towards strategic management. 💸 The convergence of services and emerging technology capabilities has created 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 #automation 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 to lead the future of Autonomous Transformation. These automation companies are poised to replace traditional IT services and consultancy, addressing accumulated technological and process debts. ❓𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗹-𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲 #autonomoustransformation 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶-𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆, facing key challenges including limitations of #AI, #data quality & governance issues, and intricate enterprise #workflow. 💫 𝗔𝗹𝗹-𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗢𝗻𝗲. A new wave of automation startups is spearheading #autonomoustransformation, replacing traditional consultancy and IT services. The future is here! Check out our investments: Versori, Spendkey, Garvis (exited), Trusstor. 📥  https://lnkd.in/ehUh6eiW #Automation #Scalebridge #thesis #VC #emergingmanager #founder

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During The Earthshot Prize week in Cape Town, I joined Ashleigh Theophanides (Deloitte Africa) and Adirupa Sengupta (Common Purpose) on the Green Dot Conversation podcast to discuss how businesses can balance profit, purpose, and inclusivity while solving global challenges. Moderated by Su-Ann Badenhorst, we explored impactful solutions for Africa. For nearly two decades, I have invested – through Alitheia Capital – in businesses that generate financial returns and deliver social development impacts. Our mission has always been to achieve the SDG goals and ensure access to essential goods and services (such as finance, education, health, and energy) to empower individuals across Africa. The Earthshot Prize embodies this dual mission of profit and purpose. While the £1M prize for each of the five winners is significant, it represents just the beginning. The prize's true power lies in catalysing innovation, scaling impactful solutions, and nurturing leaders who are transforming lives and livelihoods. I am especially inspired by the innovations emerging from Africa’s youth leaders and the solutions addressing the unique climate challenges we face here on the continent. Listen to the podcast here: Spotify: https://deloi.tt/3ZlHxBz YouTube: https://deloi.tt/3OFyAy6 #EarthshotPrize #ImpactInvesting #AlitheiaCapital

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🚀 Listen now to the latest episode of The Big Exit Show podcast, where Anke Huiskes and I discuss with Marc van Agteren (former CEO of Usabilla) their successful acquisition by SurveyMonkey. Fascinating story of an (almost) bootstrapped company, my key insights are: - How the shift to enterprise paved the way for growth and break even ✨ - Navigating the exit process while delivering growth 📈 - How can you secure post-acquisition transition with minimal initial changes 🔄 🎧 Listen to the full episode for more insights into Marc's entrepreneurial journey on selling Usabilla and what he would do differently https://lnkd.in/ekCxK-r3 🙏 Thanks to Sophie Corlay for the suggestion to interview Marc. ➡️ Do you know other guests you would like to hear their exit story? Just DM Anke Huiskes or me. #StartupSuccess #BusinessAcquisition #Usabilla #SurveyMonkey #TheBigExitShow #CX #founderstries #founders #exit #SaaS

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What an extraordinary Venture Capital Conference. I gained powerful insights of the investment and entrepreneurial ecosystem in the netherlands and europe. 🚀🍀 It is also great to be member of the Financial Study association Rotterdam (FSR). #Slinghot #FinchCapital #NosuchVentures #venturecapital

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My good friends at LUMO Labs launch €100 million Lumo Rise Fund. Venture capital for a greener and stronger society through European technology 🇪🇺 I am Incredibly proud of Andy Lurling, Sven Bakkes and their team(s)👏 With this fund, LUMO Labs invests in European start-ups focused on the development and application of emerging digital technologies for a greener and stronger society. In doing so, LUMO Labs builds on its investment strategy and expertise related to the opportunities and challenges of a society in which physical and digital reality are becoming increasingly integrated. For LUMO Labs, this new fund means an expansion in capital for more regional diversification and more room for follow-on financing to increase the financial, social, and environmental return on its investments. LUMO Labs technology focus is on emerging digital technologies that are pivotal for achieving these Sustainable Development Goals, as formulated by the United Nations. Emerging digital technologies such as the Internet of Things, Virtual and Augmented Reality, Blockchain and especially (deeptech) Artificial Intelligence, enable processing and evaluation of unparalleled quantities of information with unparalleled speed, at unprecedented scale. This makes the further development and application of these technologies particularly relevant in the current context of intricate social, economic, and environmental challenges. Andy Lurling, Founding Partner LUMO Labs, comments, “Emerging digital technologies, such as deeptech AI, allow people to manage complexity with unprecedented speed and scale. This holds the key to structural solutions and sustainable alternatives to widespread degenerative habits and unsustainable systems. We invest in impact-driven entrepreneurs who have the ambition and potential to reach large numbers of people, with digital propositions aimed at improving people’s quality of life and well-being, and relieving the ever-increasing strain on healthcare, social services and the planet.” Over the next four years, LUMO Labs will invest in approximately 30 to 35 impact-driven digital technology startups with LUMO Rise Fund. “For startups with innovative, digital propositions, (pre)-seed funding is critical for speed and scale. In addition to funding, it is key to understand and facilitate the specific kind of value creation and risk mitigation that fits this exceptional stage, to succeed. We swear by methodical and timely selection, active monitoring, and our proven LUMO Program. Built on four solid pillars related to leadership, product-market fit, storytelling and follow-on investment, this active support program is tailored to each startup’s individual needs and updated on a rolling basis.” says Sven Bakkes, Founding Partner LUMO Labs. We can't wait to contribute to this journey by sharing our network and opening up the Rotterdam region to support this wonderful Eindhoven-driven adventure! #GoodThingsAreComing #LumoLabs

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The trend is picking up. Investing in #deterrance & #defence to further support competitiveness and resilience of #European countries. This time Netherlands Ministerie van Defensie is joining other #EU MoDs and national development agencies to facilitate access to funding for #defence #DualUse and #security innovations. Our fund Coinvest Capital was the first in the region, fully authorised to invest in pure #defense already back in March 2023, shortly joined in April by Baltic Sandbox Ventures with #DeepTech focus and the launch of dual-use accelerators by ScaleWolf in October. Just our fund alone already coinvested 6.8mEUR in #aerospace and #defense, including one of the largest regional #VC rounds in Unmanned Defense Systems. Today we will be watching and supporting two teams from #Lithuania - winners of our joint prizes with DEPO Ventures - pitching on stage at #DefSec innovation challenge hosted by Dr. Kristina Soukupova with their solutions for #cyber #security and #drone enhancement, that enables all drone makers to get faster time-to-market. Wishing the best of luck and a solid pitch to the teams of AI Drone.Tech with co-founders Laurynas Česūnas and Domantas Brucas, winners of our prize at the defence #hackathon The Flaming Shield of Lietuvos šaulių sąjunga , and CBRX with co-founder Kazimieras Sadauskas, winners of our prize at the Startup Lithuania annual event #StartupFair

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